CHINAMPA

also called floating garden small, stationary, artificial island built on a freshwater lake for agricultural purposes. "Chinampan" was the ancient name for the southwestern region of the Valley of Mexico, or the region of Xochimilco; and it was there that the technique was-and is yet-most widely used. It consists in building up a number of little islands, each averaging 6 to 10 m (19.7 to 32.8 feet) wide and 100 to 200 m (30.5 to 656.2 feet) long, using layers of vegetation, dirt, and mud. The technique contains its own irrigation from the moisture filtering in from the lake; fertilization is from the organic wastes in mud and aquatic life. It is an intensive and productive form of cultivation.